Today, we celebrate Motherhood.
In the beginning, God and Adam saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone. In response, God created the first woman, Eve.
She was created from Adam’s rib. Not from his foot, that Eve should be walked on or ruled over by Adam, not from his head that she should rule over him, but from his rib that they would co-labor side-by-side in life. She was created purposefully to be Adam’s helper. As God states in Genesis 2:24, that they would come together as one.
This Hebrew word for helper is ʿēzer and is found 21 times in the Old Testament. Twice, it is used to describe who Eve is in relationship to Adam. Eighteen times, it is used to describe who God is in relationship to us. This is incredibly significant!
In our culture, when we think of one who is a helper, we often think of it in a demeaning tone and lesser than the one that they are helping. However, God is by no means lesser than us and His role as our helper is by no means demeaning! This is the role of Eve as Adam’s wife.
She was so influential and valued alongside of Adam that the devil chose to take all of mankind down by tempting Eve. If Eve were subservient to Adam in relationship, then the devil would have tempted Adam to cause them both to sin. Adam also would not have submitted to her request for him to eat the fruit if she were subservient to him nor would she have been so bold as to tell him what to do.
We also don’t focus on this often in the account of the fall, but according to Genesis 3, Adam was with Eve when the serpent was tempting her. Though the serpent was talking with Eve, Adam was together with her while this was taking place.
Many take Paul’s letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 2) where he states that women should learn in quietness and full submission to men and that a woman should not be permitted to teach or have authority over a man since Adam was created before Eve to be a rule for all people for all time.
However, in his other letters, Paul calls out many women by name and commends their ministry and even their leadership within the early church. Since 1 Timothy 2 was a personal letter between Paul and Timothy, I believe that they both knew about a specific issue and situation in the church in Ephesus that made it unwise for women to teach or lead at that specific time. Unfortunately, we’re a few thousand years removed from that letter and can only speculate.
Women have always had an important role throughout the Bible. In fact, Paul even attributes Timothy’s faith to first living in his grandmother Lois and in his mother Eunice. We never find any mention of the men in Timothy’s life except for the spiritual father that Paul was to him. It was his grandmother and mother’s faith that lead to Timothy’s salvation and call to ministry.
Never underestimate the power and influence of a Spirit-filled mother!
We learned last week how the demons knew Jesus and heard about Paul.
I’m convinced that the demons shutter when some of you moms out there come around!
They’ve heard about you.
The way that you pray.
The way that you prophesy.
The way that you correct.
The way that you encourage.
The way that you are relentless about your whole family reaching their full God-given destiny.
The genuine and relentless faith of a mother!
Luke 18:1-8
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
If you have grown weary praying for the same thing for days, weeks, months, years and not seeing breakthrough, don’t give up! Keep on praying! Keep pressing in and seeking until every promise of God is fulfilled! Jesus said it this way:
Matthew 7:8 (AMP)
For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened.
Matthew 7:8 (TPT)
For every persistent one will get what he asks for. Every persistent seeker will discover what he longs for. And everyone who knocks persistently will one day find an open door.
Faith has nothing to do with when God’s word comes to pass, but the degree of trust that we have in God and in His ability and integrity to fulfill what He has promised.
Our role is to plow and plant and water and weed. God’s role is to make the seed grow. Sow and sow generously. Even when it seems hopeless, even when you are at your end, even when you are exhausted, press on and press through! It’s going to be worth it! There may be pain and tears tonight, but JOY is coming in the morning!
Galatians 6:7-10
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
At the proper time, we will reap a harvest IF, IF, we do not give up! Keep on sowing! Even if it seems to be falling on hard ground. Even if it seems to get stolen away. Eventually, that seed is going to fall at the right time on some good soil and take root!
Everything in this world is constantly changing. There is very little stability and lots of uncertainty. That’s why we must place our hope and trust not in anything of this world; not even ourselves. Our only source of true hope is Jesus whom never changes. He is the only one that is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Jesus is the only One that never grows weary who can strengthen us.
Jesus is the only rock that stands when all else is washed away.
Jesus is the only peace that overcomes life’s storms and chaos.
Jesus is the only hope and light that pierces through any darkness.
Jesus is well familiar with people failing and abandoning Him. He can relate!
John 6:66-69 (TPT)
66 And so from that time on many of the disciples turned their backs on Jesus and refused to be associated with him.
67 So Jesus said to his twelve, “And you – do you also want to leave?” 68 Peter spoke up and said, “But Lord, where would we go? No one but you gives us the revelation of eternal life. 69 We’re fully convinced that you are the Anointed One, the Son of the Living God, and we believe in you!”
The good news is that not only can Jesus relate to rejection and weariness and loneliness, He will never subject us to it!
Deuteronomy 31:8/Hebrews 13:5
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
We can choose to be like Peter. Where else can we go? Jesus is the Anointed One, the Son of the Living God, the only One who provides not only eternal life itself, but also a never-ending source of revelation. He is able to provide all that we could ever need! Where else can we go?
Everything in this world will let us down or fail us at some point. However, Jesus never will!
Jesus stood up in the synagogue where He grew up, quoted this prophetic word, and said that He had fulfilled it.
Isaiah 61
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion –
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
Still today, Jesus is doing all of this and so much more! Good news, freedom, healing, deliverance, comfort, joy, beauty, and praise! Jesus generously offers these to us!
Then, the rest of the chapter goes on to talk about a group of people referred to simply as “they.”
Who are the “they”?
The poor, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners, the mourners, and those in despair.
“They” are the ones who responded to the call of Jesus.
“They” are the ones who heard the proclamation of Jesus and received it.
Prayerfully today, “they” are we, we are “they”, “they” are us, I am “they”, you are “they”; you get the idea! 🙂
To those who receive it, the same Spirit of the Sovereign Lord and the same anointing is poured out into the lives of the “they!” Listen to what you WILL do, what I WILL do, what we WILL do!
Let’s take our time reading through this and really absorb it and let it take root into our lives. It’s God’s prophetic promise for us!
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
When others see us, they will see the Lord and His blessing.
How do we respond to all of these amazing promises?
10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.
So, wherever you may find yourself in the process of receiving all of these awesome promises, know that they are certainly on their way. Don’t give up!
You may be weary, you may feel alone, you may not be able to see how things could possibly end in goodness, but it’s not over yet! God is able! God is willing!
Let’s trade in weakness for strength, frustration for peace, mourning for comfort. Let’s allow His anointing to saturate every part of our lives so that we might be transformed into the mighty oaks and bountiful gardens that He created us to be!
While we’re waiting to grow into these things, let’s give Him the praise that He is so worthy of!
Let’s praise Him for what He has done and remember that He’s only getting started. Our best days are still ahead of us! Let’s also praise Him in faith for what He has planned ahead of us in our glorious future!